Scotty McCreery to Release ‘Christmas With Scotty McCreery’ on October 16

Breakout country star Scotty McCreery is preparing to release his first Christmas album. The aptly-titled 'Christmas With Scotty McCreery' is set to drop on Oct. 16, and the young singer says he is excited about the project, which mixes holiday classics with two new tracks.

“Christmas has always been my favorite time of the year,” McCreery says in a press release. “And what is Christmas without music? We start listening to Christmas songs early in the McCreery household, so it felt right. I’ve always wanted to record a Christmas album since I’ve had my music career."

McCreery's upcoming album -- which he began work on back in July -- features plenty of standards like 'The First Noel,' 'Winter Wonderland,' 'Let it Snow' and 'Jingle Bells.' It also includes 'O Holy Night,' which the singer performed in a school play in the fifth grade, and 'Mary, Did You Know?' McCreery used to perform the latter song in church services with a friend before rising to fame as a vocalist.

The album also includes a nod to Elvis with 'Santa Claus is Back in Town,' as well as two original songs. McCreery decided to include 'Christmas in Heaven' after hearing just one verse of the demo, and he says that song and 'Christmas Is Coming Around' really helped him create the mood he wanted for the record. “I just wanted it to be holly and jolly and really lift people’s spirits in the Christmas season, because it’s supposed to be a really happy time," he observes. "But I also wanted to get across the real reason for the season. ‘Christmas in Heaven’ is my favorite song on the album and it really speaks to that.”

The 'American Idol' veteran promises the album will hold some musical surprises for his fans, too. “There will be some songs that sound like a different Scotty – not different as far as not country, but a different sound than they heard on the first album. Hopefully, they will be pleasantly surprised.”

To promote the upcoming release, McCreery's official web site is offering fans the chance to pre-order an autographed copy of the CD and enter to win one of 100 random phone calls from the singer, as well as opportunities to receive a video greeting from him or attend a meet and greet session. For information about pre-ordering your copy, visit this link.